winter squash tamale pie with harissa

That is unless you are one of those peeps that own a three-dimensional printer. Please, COME forward and state thy name. Here’s a fun little factoid for you. While listening to my “NPR’s” on the way home from work the other day, I learned there were over 100,000 3D printers sold this year in the US. Which is totally cool and very tech progressive, but the only thing I could think of, “who the hell is answering the tech support line?” Yikes.

So, rather than spend money on a three-dimensional printer (with the possibility of talking to crickets) and be bored watching cable TV while eating plain winter food, I have a suggestion.

Take your super star, seasonal winter squash – Sir Butternut – and saute it with some harissa, peppers, black beans, onions, corn, and my favorite, Muir Glen fire roasted tomatoes. If you have not fancied these fired roasted tomatoes, runnnnnnn to the nearest grocery store and give ’em a test drive. I use these boys to add flavor and dimension to many meals during the winter months. Plus, Muir Glen has tons of other options to kick the flavor up a notch with marinara sauces, stewed tomatoes, and even salsas!

Once you have everything sauteed, stir in the cheese, pour into a casserole, layer the top with cornbread mix, and bake away. Pull the casserole out just as the cornbread turns a golden hue. Your table will have a zesty, seasonal, Rob Lowe-approved tamale pie.

Eat Seasonal Series:

My talented and fantastic friend, Becky, author of The Vintage Mixer, and her husband Josh, are showing us that eating seasonally can be fun! Each month they will provide a Seasonal Produce Guide, which you can save on your iPhone or desktop so you can get in the seasonal eating spirit.

Not only do they provide a beautiful illustration each month like the one above, you can also join me and a few fabulous food bloggers who are serving up seasonally inspired recipes. Follow us on Instagram and tag your photos with the #eatseasonal hashtag!

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Spray a 9X13 casserole dish with non-stick cooking spray. Preheat a large skillet to medium-high heat and add the olive oil, butternut squash, and s&p. Saute the squash for about 7 minutes until softened. Then add onion, green pepper, black beans, corn, tomatoes, harissa, chili powder, cumin, coriander, paprika, and garlic powder. Give it a good stir and cook for another 7 minutes and then stir in the cheese. Next, pour the butternut squash mixture into the casserole and cover the top with the prepared cornbread mixture. Bake for about 30 to 40 minutes or until the cornbread mixture on top is nice and golden brown. Cool slightly before serving. Enjoy!

So true that winter food can be monotone and lacklustre, but not this! And what a lineup for December…Thanks, Lauren.

Can I seriously come over for dinner to have this one? Or will you make it in january in Park City?!! This is just too good!! Love everything about it! And now I’m imagining the tech support nerds for the 3-d printers so thanks for that too!

I want to come over to your house to eat. You always have the most amazing recipes…ones that I feel are made just for me! 🙂 This sounds and looks incredible. Harissa and butternut squash…hello!

The only thing I know about 3D printers is from Grey’s Anatomy. And I was pretty sure they made them up for the purpose of the show, so….. CRAZY. That is not the kind of tech support I would ever want to need to have. A big old square of this tamale pie, on the other hand…WANT.